Buechner Week Elsewhere

Thanks for reading along with Buechner week so far everyone! There are still some goodies coming up, but I wanted to share with you what others have posted!

Meg shares some of what she's learned from reading Buechner:
I have not been familiar with Frederick Buechner for very long. He was first introduced to me about 3 years ago in graduate school at Wheaton College. I spent what little time I could spare reading some of his sermons online, anything I could easily google. All of that time, and even now, after reading a few of his works (mostly his memoirs), that word keeps coming to the front of my mind. Innocence.

After sparking a conversation with myself (which happens more often than I’m willing to admit…) on why this word, it occurred to me that Buechner was the first author who inadvertently made me understand that a certain level of innocence is a state of mind, a state of being or understanding, a chosen perspective or attitude, a sought-out way of life. Go read the rest, it's fabulous.

She also reviews Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy and Fairy Tale:

Not disappointing his familiar readers in his ability to somewhat surprisingly humanize these characters we common folk might normally write off, Buechner begins in his first chapter with Henry Ward Beecher — 19th century American pastor, speaker, social reformer and avid abolitionist, famous first for his energetic Calvinist teaching and maybe most for his scandalous affair and trial with the married Elizabeth Tilton. Taking one short passage from Beecher’s biography — one scene where Beecher cuts himself shaving in preparation for the first of the Beecher Lectures on preaching at Yale — Buechner thrusts his readers, without hesitation or overwhelmingly sentimental nonsense, into the raw revelation of the human being-ness from which we all suffer and inevitably misunderstand.

Christy reviews Peculiar Treasures: A Biblical Who's Who:
Peculiar Treasures is a unique look at many of the Bible’s most familiar characters (and some not so familiar). I came away from the book with a new appreciation for those characters and for the Word. I was reminded again that the Bible is full or regular and ordinary people and a beyond extraordinary God. Buechner breaks down the characters stories into simple everyday terms using contemporary language and scenes. (His little blurb on Adam is quite interesting….and calling Boaz long in the tooth cracked me up!)

Jen posts a few thoughts as well:
I probably have no business professing to be a Frederick Buechner fan. One book read does not a fan make, especially for an author with about 30 to his name. Oh, but I can claim the title of Wannabe Fan, or maybe Curious or something.

Even though he still seems relatively obscure, Buechner's name seemed to keep showing up on favorite author lists by folks I admire for their deep thinking and general good taste... alongside other writers that have left their marks on me, like Lewis and Chesterton and L'Engle and such.

Go read their full posts and stay tuned for more goodies!